Irish Times Notes
Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’
Pioneer Ministry Gathering
The Pioneer Ministry Leadership Team will host the 2025 Annual Pioneer Ministry Gathering tomorrow (Saturday) in the Bloomfield House Hotel, in Mullingar.
The keynote speaker, the Revd Dr Michael Moynagh. Michael is an Anglican minister and is known as a leading practitioner of the Pioneer movement. For over 25 years, he has been researching, advocating, advising, and coaching new forms of ministry and his numerous books include the classic textbook Church for Every Context and Giving the Church. He will be contextualising what he knows to the Irish context and to help participants to learn how they can practically pioneer in their own parishes and settings.
There will also be some Irish pioneering stories and exciting updates from across the Church of Ireland. It’s an event for everyone who is interested and involved in Pioneer Ministry across the Church of Ireland. More information and signing up details are available via Eventbrite.
This year’s Day of Prayer for Young People and Youth Ministry takes place on on Sunday. The Church of Ireland Youth Department’s FUEL Bible reading resource and prayer journal have both been reprinted – due to popular demand – to help young people grow in their faith. The prayer journal helps young to creatively listen and respond to what God is saying, with room to think and write about what makes a prayer a prayer, why we pray, prayer requests, what helps us pray and what stops us from praying, and answers to prayer.
Copies of the prayer journal may be had from Diocesan Youth Officers or Youth Council representatives or from Barbara Swann, CIYD’s Office Administrator, at [email protected]
On Tuesday, to mark the 800th anniversary of the canonization of St Laurence O’Toole, the series of free lunchtime lectures continues at 1.10pm in Christ Church cathedral. Dublin, when Dr Jesse Harrington of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, will speak. The lectures take place in the chapter house building upstairs and is at present only accessible by stairs. For further information on this series, email the cathedral research advisor, Dr Stuart Kinsella, at [email protected].
On Wednesday evening the Archbishop of Dublin will speak at the Carlow Union of Churches Advent Series – ‘Advent an Introduction’ – in Community House, Haymarket, Carlow.
The Ministry of Healing: Ireland has announced the Reading by Candlelight Book Group: an online Advent reading group. You are invited to gather with or four evenings to explore and discuss short stories, and poems that open the heart to the season’s mystery and hope – works by Tove Jansson, Maeve Brennan, Maeve Binchy, and many others, exploring the complexity of Christmas, the sometimes–painful family dynamics, and the moments of beauty that remain etched in memory. Each session offers gentle discussion, space for reflection, and the gift of listening. The Club will meet at 8pm via Zoom on 3, 10 & 17 December and conclude on 7 January. Book via www.ministryofhealing.ie
Published in the Friday edition of The Irish Times